The exciting evolution of California cuisine

In the course of writing Sunday’s review of Plum, I’ve received several emails from chef/owner Daniel Patterson. He’s such a focused and thoughtful guy that even his off-the-cuff musings are provocative and filled with salient points. He agreed with what I blogged about on Tuesday, that this is one of the most exciting times in dining in at least two decades.

When I reviewed Coi in August 2008 and bumped it to four stars, I wrote that Patterson’s “approach has continued to morph into a style that is not only highly individual, but one that could only happen in the Bay Area. I can’t think of a single restaurant that has such a unique sense of place.

Patterson has been one of the most innovative chefs, and has mentored lots of cooks who are employing a similar philosophy. His approach to using local and foraged ingredients and cutting-edge techniques is reflected in Plum on a more casual basis.

In several other reviews of places like Bar Agricole and Commonwealth, I’ve talked about how there seems to be exciting major changes in Bay Area dining. Patterson detailed some of those in his email. Here is part of what he had to say:

When I opened Coi in 2006, the combination of haute cuisine and a casual, neighborhood feeling was something new, and to be honest it took us a while to get it right. Since then it seems like the elements – the understated room, handmade pottery, vegetable-centric, intensely personal cooking, using only local ingredients that we pick out ourselves, combined with modern aesthetic and techniques – have all entered the local vernacular.

Now I see menus with Douglas fir, wood sorrel, wild radish flowers. Chefs are foraging and making their own butter. They’re using circulators and combi ovens. There’s been a resurgence of tasting menus (now in more casual settings).

I feel like, hopefully, we have been able to contribute to the dialogue here, maybe expanding the idea of what California cuisine is a little bit.

Patterson also credits Chez Panisse for being the first place to combine high-end cooking with a neighborhood feel. “I think this trend is actually an evolution of a very Californian approach,” he explains.

And that, in my mind,pretty much sums up what’s happening in the Bay Area food scene.